Born to a poor couple who were tenant farmers on a plantation in Mississippi, Anne Moody lived through some of the most dangerous days of the pre-civil rights era in the South. The week before she began high school came the news of Emmet Till's lynching. Before then, she had "known the fear of hunger, hell, and the Devil. But now there was…the fear of being killed just because I was black." In that moment was born the passion for freedom and justice that would change her life.

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Publisher's Summary

Audie Award Finalist, Classic, 2014

Born to a poor couple who were tenant farmers on a plantation in Mississippi, Anne Moody lived through some of the most dangerous days of the pre-civil rights era in the South. The week before she began high school came the news of Emmet Till's lynching. Before then, she had "known the fear of hunger, hell, and the Devil. But now there was…the fear of being killed just because I was black." In that moment was born the passion for freedom and justice that would change her life.

An all-A student whose dream of going to college is realized when she wins a basketball scholarship, she finally dares to join the NAACP in her junior year. Through the NAACP and later through CORE and SNCC she has first-hand experience of the demonstrations and sit-ins that were the mainstay of the civil rights movement, and the arrests and jailings, the shotguns, fire hoses, police dogs, billy clubs, and deadly force that were used to destroy it.

A deeply personal story but also a portrait of a turning point in our nation's destiny, this autobiography lets us see history in the making, through the eyes of one of the footsoldiers in the civil rights movement.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were many times during this story when I froze in place, put my hand over my mouth, and felt my eyes well with tears...but don't mistake it for some sort of a 'sappy sob story.'

Any additional comments?

This is one of the best credits I've ever spent. I couldn't take my headphones off! I even turned off my phone, so I wouldn't be disturbed. There is not one single boring word. The entire story is alive - pulling you in, triggering emotions you didn't even know you had, forcing you to experience an ugly part of American history, and opening your eyes to the true, dirty reality of racism.

The narrator is fantastic - I cannot praise her enough. She reads it like it's her own personal story. Her voice is smooth and pleasant and displays a brilliant full spectrum of emotions. I could listen to her all day and never get tired.

I personally, wouldn't recommend this book to JUST anyone. Unless you are reading for a better understanding of events during that time era, then it probably isn't something that a normal everyday book reader would want to read. It is an autobiography of Anne Moody's life. Therefore, it kind of drags on without there being a real climax, turning point, resolution etc.

What does Lisa Reneé Pitts bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It was interesting to me how she her story evolved growing up during slavery and how at first she didn't even know of the injustices surrounding her until she became more educated.

Any additional comments?

I read this book for a college history class I took for better coverage on what was going on during that time in history.

While the historical perspective is excellent and insightful, I struggled a lot with disliking the protagonist. Anne Moody spends an inordinate amount of time telling us how she was the prettiest, the smartest, the best basketball player on the team, was wanted by all the boys, and so on ad nauseam. She is temperamental, irritable, and critical with almost everyone and everything in her life. Her mother, her father, her stepmother, teachers, coaches, principals, deans, fellow Civil Rights workers, etc.

What was most disappointing about Anne Moody’s story?

Her very obvious vanity and how she speaks very disparagingly about almost everyone. Her bragging and negativity are such a large part of her writing that it is very distracting.

What does Lisa Reneé Pitts bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I liked the narration and thought it was well done.

Was Coming of Age in Mississippi worth the listening time?

Meh. I guess. It is good to have a better grasp of the events that took place and how hard Civil Rights workers worked toward change and how frustrating and dangerous it was for them.

I will read this book in print, but will never again go with this narrator. A previous reviewer said it sounded like she was reading to school children, and I cannot disagree. I kept going in the hope that as Essie May (Anne) matures the narration gets better, but she's ten years old when I just give up and want to read the print book

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